1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to computer application programs, and more particularly the present invention relates to merging manual parameters with predefined parameters to form a command string.
2. Description of the Related Art
An Information Management System (IMS) is a hierarchical database management system that has wide spread usage in many large enterprises where high transaction volume, reliability, availability and scalability are of the utmost importance. While IMS provides the software and interfaces for running the businesses of many of the world's large corporations, a company typically tailors specific application programs in order to have IMS perform proprietary or custom work for the enterprise. IMS application programs are typically coded in COBOL, PL/I, C, PASCAL or assembly language.
Also available for IMS is a system management application having an Interactive System Productivity Facility (ISPF) panel interface with the ability to manage a group of IMSs from a Time Sharing Options (TSO) Single Point of Control (SPOC). With a SPOC interface, commands may be submitted to an operations manager. The operations manager controls the operations of the group of IMSs (hereinafter “IMSplex”) and also provides an application programming interface (API) through which commands can be issued and responses received. The SPOC interfaces include the TSO SPOC, the Restructured Extended Executor SPOC API, and the IMS Control Center. Users may also write additional applications to submit commands. By using one of the SPOC interfaces, for example the TSO SPOC, the user is able to write single points of control that communicate with the operations manager.
This IMS TSO SPOC is a software program that is configured to manage all IMS systems within the IMSplex. With the SPOC, commands may be issued to all members of an IMSplex at the same time. There can be more than one type of SPOC in an IMSplex, and there can be any number of SPOCs active. TSO SPOC communicates with one operations manager (OM) address space. The OM then communicates with all IMS address spaces in the IMSplex through a Structured Call Interface (SCI).
The IMS TSO SPOC provides several functions to an IMSplex. First, the IMS TSO SPOC presents a single system image for an IMSplex by allowing the user to issue commands to all IMSs in the IMSplex from a single console. Additionally SPOC displays consolidated command responses from multiple IMS address spaces. SPOC may also be configured to send a message to an IMS terminal connected to any IMS control region in the IMSplex.
Generally, commands in the IMS TSO SPOC application are manually entered on a command line prompt. A user may define command shortcuts and thereby reduce the length of commands. A combination of manually entered commands and predefined parameter commands may be utilized in issuing a complete command.
The IMS operator command syntax supports various parameters and the commands can be quite long. To help the operator, the IMS TSO SPOC allows the user to predefine certain parameters using a shortcut. When the user issues a short command string the TSO SPOC will combine both the necessary elements of the short manually typed string and the necessary elements of the user's predefined or redefined default parameters to compose a complete command.
The TSO SPOC does not simply append the predefined parameters to the entered command, but makes possible a merging of typed manual parameters with the predefined parameters. The shortcut may include typed manual parameters that are to override predefined parameters in the shortcut. This allows the user to change values of existing predefined parameters or add new parameters to the command, without reprogramming the shortcuts.
However, current TSO SPOC implementations do not account for multiple levels of nested parameters. Typically, the nested levels are indicated by delimiters such as a pair of parenthesis. Descendent levels of nesting are indicated by a parenthesis pair within an external parenthesis pair. For example, a command may include manual parameters within a parenthesis set which are also within a pair of parenthesis.
Current TSO SPOC implementations are unable to properly identify parameters at different nesting levels because the parameters often have the same name or token that identifies the parameter. However, parameter nesting results in parameters of the same name having a different context or meaning. Current TSO SPOC implementations are unable to identify this context distinction. So, the user is unable to use nested parenthesis in the command string with current IMS. The user is also unable to change values of existing predefined parameters or add new parameters to the command string when the parameters are found at a different level. This limitation of current TSO SPOC implementations severely restricts the value and benefit of the shortcut feature in the TSO SPOC implementations.
From the foregoing discussion, it should be apparent that a need exists for a system and method that will parse TSO SPOC command strings and merge parameters regardless of the amount of parameter nesting involved. Beneficially, such a system and method would eliminate the problem that exists with multiple levels of parameters and nested parenthesis.